From natural ingredients to Ayurvedic principles in skincare products, beauty is now embracing nature in a big way. HEALTH speaks to experts about some of the latest trends… BEAUTY THE NATURAL WAY
Organic Benefits
For a brand to be considered truly organic, Sallyann Simmons, Dr. Hauschka brand Manager, explains it must have certification with the
“BDIH” seal for certified natural cosmetics and the international quality seal for natural and organic cosmetics “NATRUE”. According to Simmons, when it comes to skincare, your skin inherently knows what to do to look after and renew itself. “Using organic certified products helps support the skin to be in balance with its own natural processes,” she says.
Ingredients
With key ingredients that include Anthyllis extract, Calendula flower extract, and Rose damascene flower extract, some clear advantages to using organic skincare products are that organic skincare doesn’t contain any chemicals which may unfortunately get absorbed easily by the skin and in the long run, can cause damage to our skin and organs as the body has no way of ridding itself of them, tells Simmons. “Organic skin care products perform as well or better than synthetic skincare products,” she tells and they are far less likely to irritate skin, and they do not come with harmful side effects and dangerous long-term physical risks. “Dr. Hauschka Skin Care respects the skin, allowing it to cleanse, balance and renew itself without suppressing the skin’s natural function therefore helping it achieve a natural,
self-sufficient state,” explains Simmons.
Ayurveda Explained
Ayurveda is the ancient science known for balancing the whole body, according to one’s particular dosha. Ayurveda, when translated, literally means “the Science of Life”, tells Aly Rahimtoola, Managing Director and Founder of natural beauty brand Herbline Essentials. He elaborates, “It is a study of humankind’s relationship with Nature and involves using natural elements equilibrium.” Due to external influences such as poor diet or lifestyle choices, people tend to suffer from skin conditions or ailments. By following an Ayurvedic approach to handling your skincare needs, Rahimtoola says you can restore balance and benefit from better skin.
Key Ingredients
Some key ingredients, tells Rahimtoola, are high quality spring water from the Himalayas, Aloe Vera, honey, papaya and essentials oils from fruits and plants which when blended together, deliver powerful results for better skin care. “In our opinion, when we use natural products that are typically free from artificial preservatives such as parabens or paraffin then that is better for the skin,” he says, as the largest human organ is the skin and approximately 60 percent of what we put on it goes into the body by absorption.
Benefits
According to Rahimtoola, over centuries, humankind has experimented using natural plants and herbs blended together to get healing
or calming effects on the mind, body and skin. “The beauty is that it avoids using lab made chemical compounds that ultimately may not be good for you in the long term,” he says, and it enables you to use nature to heal yourself. That’s Ayurveda.
Main Body Types
Another Ayurveda based brand is Urban Veda whose founder Sheilesh Shah points out that Ayurveda states there are three main body types, known as doshas; these are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. “These doshas express everything about us from our skin type and physical characteristics, to our health and personality traits,” he says. “Urban Veda has been developed in synergy with Ayurvedic
principles to target the primary skincare needs of the three doshas.” The central concept of this Ayurvedic skincare approach is to maintain your doshas natural balance, helping to keep skin in optimum health.
